"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence [sic] of their error which was meet." Romans 1:26-27
"Your mother recognizes all you're desperate displays
And she watches as her babies drift violently away
'Til they see themselves in telescopes
Do you see yourself in me?
We're such crazy babies, little monkey
We're so fu**ed up, you and me" - Adam Duritz, Counting Crows
Upon these penned words stands what many Scripture-studying Christians have, for right or wrong, depicted homosexuality to be.
There have been many interpretations for Paul's words, however, it is fair to say that historically the majority of Christians have interpreted these words as an indictment against homosexual relationships as we know them today.
Absence of Jesus' condemnation on a subject is not a good argument, but it should be at least part of the thought-process. My thoughts are this: Jesus spent His time embracing the marginalized and condemning the religious. When we combine those things with the entire theme of Scriptures when understood rightly, Jesus as Redeemer of all people, all people in need of redemption (or Paul, "all people are the same', c.f. Adam Duritz above), it is frankly difficult to attribute the bigotry Christians have shamefully displayed towards homosexuals to anything but natural Darwinian anxiety masquerading as Scriptural instruction. Or, at the very least, condemning attitudes towards homosexuality masquerading as Scriptural attitudes.
Perhaps if Christians spent more energy learning from the homosexual community, it would be better served time. Homosexuals probably represent roughly 5% of the human population; yet is there a more powerful lobbying group in America? Yet Christians represent the majority of Americans, and we know how that lobbying is going. Instead, Evangelical Christians in Washington spend their time lobbying against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, so that the other 40 states or so can continue to allow employers to fire employees for their sexual gender (Yeah, that really can still happen). Furthermore, homosexuals are, as they should be, an integral part of the Christian community. In 2013, with all the tools we have to understand Scripture in its proper context, isn't it time to embrace our brothers and sisters instead of fearful Darwinian behavior ruling the day? While Scripture may very well have negative things to say about at least some homosexual behavior, it also does for some heterosexual behavior. Perhaps our energy is better served getting it right on our end, instead of projecting our failures on other communities.
One of the upshots I see here is voices like Gene Robinson are even more important than we know. If mainline Protestantism continues to shun the homosexual community, it will contribute to the Protestant community's continued depreciation in the Western world. And, in my opinion, this will be against the Will of the God we claim to cling to.
